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Understanding drought response mechanisms in wheat and multi-trait selection
Maicon Nardino1, Ellen Cristina Perin2, Bianca Camargo Aranha3
1Department of Agronomy, Federal University of Viçosa, Viçosa, MG, Brazil.
Plos One
|April 14, 2022
Summary
Identifying drought-tolerant wheat genotypes is crucial for food security. This study evaluated wheat responses to drought stress, revealing key physiological and biochemical defense mechanisms and selecting superior strains for semi-arid conditions.
Area of Science:
- Agricultural Science
- Plant Physiology
- Biochemistry
Background:
- Wheat is highly sensitive to osmotic stress, particularly drought, impacting specialized metabolites crucial for plant health and human well-being.
- Drought stress affects plant physiology and biochemistry, necessitating the identification of genotypes with enhanced tolerance mechanisms for sustainable agriculture.
- Osmoprotectors and specialized metabolites play vital roles in maintaining osmotic balance and mitigating oxidative stress in plants.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the agronomic, physiological, and biochemical responses of spring wheat genotypes to drought stress under field conditions.
- To identify wheat strains exhibiting superior drought tolerance through a multi-trait index analysis.
- To understand the plant defense mechanisms contributing to drought tolerance in wheat.
Main Methods:
- Evaluation of 18 spring wheat genotypes under field drought stress conditions.
- Assessment of agronomic (grain yield), physiological (photosynthesis-related variables), and biochemical (proline, sodium, potassium, antioxidant potential, phenolic compounds) parameters.
- Application of a multivariate index for the joint selection of drought-tolerant strains.
Main Results:
- Drought significantly impacted all evaluated variables, with most genotypes showing reduced grain yield.
- Photosynthetic variables were negatively affected by drought; however, proline content increased significantly (over 800%) in stressed genotypes.
- Specific genotypes (VI_14774, VI_14668, VI_9007, TBIO_ATON) maintained grain yield, while others (BRS_264, VI_14050, VI_14426) showed strong drought responsiveness.
- Increased specialized metabolism compounds and altered ion content (Na, K) were observed as defense mechanisms.
Conclusions:
- Wheat genotypes exhibit varied defense and tolerance mechanisms against drought stress, influencing their performance.
- The study successfully identified four promising wheat strains (VI_14055, VI_14001, VI_14426, VI_1466) for semi-arid environments and fluctuating climatic conditions.
- Understanding these genotypic variations is essential for predicting and improving wheat performance under future climate scenarios.
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